Saturday, September 20, 2014

Synchronization techniques (using hormones to bring animals
into heat at specific times) were first in development back in the 1960s, when
drug firms like GD Searle[owner of
Curtiss Breeding Service] developed “Synchro Mate B” vaginal inserts for sheep
and ear implants for beef cattle.“Lutalyse” as developed by Tuco/Upjohn[now part of Pfizer]in injectable form, made it all easier.Lut response was later found to be
enhanced by a simultaneous use of “Gnrh” [Gonadatropic release hormone],and
most OvSynch protocols today alternate Gnrh and Lutalyse shots to produce
stronger heats.

No matter what you hear, however, the following is
observationally true:conception
rates are much higher when breeding still occurs based upon observed heat
signs.In other words, without estrus detection, the
best you typically get is 50% conception.

I bring this up, because we hear of instances in which
owners of smaller numbers of cows, especially if dependent on an external
inseminator, get told by veterinary practitioners that OvSynch is “easy” – and
the total detail (what has to happen when, and what results to expect) is not
always covered.This is the result of
widespread use of OvSynch in Michigan dairy herds (MSU’s Dr Pursley is a
leading researcher in synchronized reproduction) where it has proven to
maintain reproduction at a utility level, in spite of genetic selection and
feed management issues that tend to delay fertility response in many dairy
cows.

Veterinarians do not always remember that the cow calf
operator, like the grass-based organic dairyman, prefers a tight seasonal
calving window—not calvings strung out all year long.AI efficacy in beef has to result in calves
with optimal birthdates (to fit marketing windows) and calving dates (to
match peak forage production) or the profitability of weight gain can be
jeopardized.

Most beef breeds are genetically
selected for natural fertility response

With the possible exception of the extreme growth rate and
show type bloodlines, where other factors dominate genetic selection, both the
major commercial feedlot breeds and the grass-based heritage beef breeds
include “fertility response” within maternal trait selection, as well as range
sire behavioral trait selection.For
the grass-based cow-calf systems, where vegetative grass and sunlight are the
nutrient energy sources, breed selection for high rumen feed efficiency and
easy conditioning (natural marbling) has assisted in maintaining natural
reproductive efficiency that was based in genetic selection.

The reason OvSynch got started in beef cattle was the demand
for AI within range-managed cow herds.Exotic genetics (for which service bulls were unavailable) could be
introduced easier through AI.But the
range cow is not housed in drylots or used to being corral confined in the
grazing season (when the AI needs to take place).OvSynch presented the option of corralling
the cattle, implanting or injecting them, turn them back out with the calves
and the grass;gather them up again a
week or two later, run them through an AI chute, breed them, and send them back
to the grass.Thus AI became a
practical option for the range cattleman, who would get 50% AI calves and 50%
cleanup bull calves, enough to provide his next season genetic needs (ie, save
his bulls from the AI fraction).

Ov Synch effects on genetic
fertility traits

Used in the above way, OvSynch was not a substitute for
natural fertility—it was a therapeutic tool to schedule existing fertility
convenient to AI use.The more fertile
cows conceived to AI, and the bull calves saved from those matings helped
maintain fertility in their work as cleanup bulls on cows that did not conceive
via AI.Thus the possible longer
term genetic consequences were not of great concern.

Is your heat detection up to the
job of doing natural heat AI?

This is the first and most important question to ask, prior
to entering into the expense of OvSynch.Given we see the highest conception rates from insemination timed from
observed natural heats, and the semen many of you are using is rare and
expensive, this is a valid question.

The average USA cow calf herd is only 18 cows in size.Even in Texas, the average is only 32!Most of you are breeding from ten to
seventy cows per year (a “one man” cow calf operation) and want all the calves
born in one season (the rest of you have a second calving season).So your cows are in dry lots or in pasture
paddocks of twenty acres or less that lead to your farm buildings.

With a seasonal breeding window, you have perhaps six weeks
in which daily heat detection, done three times daily if possible, can optimize
your pregnancy rate.Here is a very
successful routine:(1)Focus heat detection around the cooler times
in the day;(2)Use tighter grazing rotation for the AI
window, so the cows are getting fresh grass (stimulant) and you have a smaller
paddock to walk through to see them in heat;(3)Breed only those cows you see
in heat for 21-24 days.(4)On day 25 synchronize all cows that did not
show heat for natural AI;(5)Breed those cows who show heats from a 21-day
full synchronization;(6)Turn in cleanup bulls based in numbers on
half the synched cows plus all cows not bred on either a natural or
synchronized heat.

This approach guarantees that your first calves in the
season are from AI selection and a natural service.If you focus on those female calves for
replacements you will be selecting for positive natural fertility response as
well, but additional heifers can still draw from the synchro calves that come
next, as still born within the optimal birthdate window.Late calves by your cleanup bulls may at
that point prove to be surplus to your needs, and can be marketed with your
steer calves for added income.

Using what Darwin learned to evaluate OvSynch’s impact on
cow fertility

The commercial
dairy industry is facing higher repro costs and shorter cow herdlife that some
feel can be traced back to indiscriminate use of induced reproduction
technologies.

80% of the sires in dairy AI result from superovulation
[induced fertility] embryo transfer, and over 50% of their parents (sire and
dam) are the same.Their progeny are
then bred under continuous OvSynch protocols, in which open cows are given
continuous injections and timed bred until confirmed pregnant, with many herds
now averaging four AI services per pregnancy.This has meant the annual calving interval
is nearly impossible to maintain, and numbers of replacement heifers are often
short of the herd needs.Thus sexed
semen (preferring females) is now selling widely in commercial dairy settings.

The per pregnancy cost of continuous OvSynch reproduction is
$200 per dairy cow in many herds.In
the beef industry, this would be impractical-- $200 per calf might be our total
profit margin many years.

Basically, Darwin’s least controversial research indicates
that genes we do not use get lost.“Survival of the fittest” in the natural wild environment is pretty much
about being able to outrun predators while seeking out your next source of
food.“Survival of the fittest” in
domesticated animal production, is more about the gene response to all the ways
we interact with (“manage”) animals, and how they adapt to a more limited diet
(dictated by the crops we choose to grow and the supplements we buy).Estrus response can change if we no
longer value natural fertility and preserve the traits that represent the genes
supporting optimal natural fertility—whether the actual insemination is by AI
or by a service bull.

HEAT
DETECTION AIDSWhat options work best?

Don’t overlook the eight month old Jersey bull!!He loves to watch for heats—he just is not
quite tall enough to do anything about it.Breed the cows he follows around each day.You can always eat him once he gets too big
to miss (Jersey beef usually ranks pretty high in blind taste tests).

Then you have the KAMAR heat mount detector—glue over the
pelvis, it turns full red after mounting when the cow stands to be ridden.For short haired animals, the Estrus
Detect strip is self-adhesive and works similarly—its color is rubbed off by
mounting activity.Replace after
insemination.

You can take a freemartin heifer, give her hormone shots and
a chin ball marker, and she will act as a “gomer” (or you can do the gomer
surgery on a bull, it just costs more)—cows in heat will have paint on their
backs.Again, you can always eat her
too after the season is over.

With any heat detection aid, the trick is to have visible ID
on animals, a check list (on which you write down heats observed and breedings
made)—and refer to that list each time you look at the animals, so you know
what you are seeinghas occurred
since the last time you checked.

Friday, September 12, 2014

The “best” sign is
the mounting of the animal in heat.She
stands still for others to mount her.Then our timing of insemination is easier, as you have standing heats
for reference.Breed cows standing at
night the following morning, breed cows standing at morning after lunch, or if
still heated up, wait to evening.(The idea is to service at the end of standing heat—more on that later).

A beginning sign
of estrus onset is the swelling of the vulva and the release of cervical mucus,
which is shiny and clear.The cow will
be more active, restless, perhaps bawling a bit.As the estrus progresses, the cow may try to
mount other cows to draw attention.Finally you see her standing to be mounted.

The stages of
standing heat last several hours, so will be mixed in with feeding and other
routines.At the end of heat, cows
start to refuse to be mounted (AI should occur right away, if not
already).The next day the cow will be
quiet again—and within another day, you will likely see blood on the tail.

If not serviced,
or if conception does not occur, you can expect her next cycle between 17 and
24 days later (21 days is the usual interval).“False” heat signs are often seen mid
cycle (ie, 9-11 days after a true heat) and are just a result of the hormonal
production that stimulates the complete cycle.

(2)Semen Handling(protecting conception)

Your object in
semen handling is to preserve unused semen by equipment and procedures that
optimize the number of live sperm available in the straw after it is thawed for
use.

Your liquid
nitrogen semen tank is designed to maintain semen in a full state of suspended
animation. Cryogenic temperatures (-320 F in the liquid, -140 F in the vapor)
are adequate to maintain that state, but any time the semen straws/canes are
moving above the vapor line in the neck of the tank (or between tanks)
molecular movement from warming can begin.

Transfer of semen
canes should occur within a ten second interval.A similar eight second time limit is “the
rule” on removing the straw you are ready to thaw for breeding—to protect the
straws you are NOT ready to use.(If
you do not get the straw you want in eight seconds, put the cane and canister
back in the bottom of the tank, let it cool down 30 seconds, then lift it up
and try again.)

We find the
canister in which the sire we wish to use is stored.You can hold the canister within the neck of
your tank, by light pressure on the fiberglas stem, with the same hand that
holds the cane steady (with thumb and forefinger) while you remove a
straw.Then (1) drop the cane down
into the canister, (2) drop the canister into the neck, (3) put the removed
straw in your thaw water, (4) set the canister in its hanger, (5) plug the tank
neck.The removed straw is being
thawed, it is of secondary importance to the straws returning to the safety of
your semen tank—thus the logic of the order given above.

Why thaw in warm
water??Because it is likely the semen
you have was collected at multiple locations and with different extenders
(fluids added to protect the sperm cells through freezing and thawing).It is known that “pocket thaw” seems to work
with milk extender semen, but can damage egg yolk, citrate, and soybean oil
extended semen.But warm water thaw
works equally with ALL semen straws.

(3)The AI technique(rectal palpation, cervical
fixation)

The thawed straw
will be wiped dry, inserted into the barrel of a warmed AI gun.The end of the straw is cut open, a sterile
sheath is drawn over it (and secured by o-ring or spiral at the shank of the
gun).A dry paper towel is wrapped over
the end, to reduce temperature shock, and slipped into your vest.

You will slide an
OB glove over your left arm, fitting the hand to your fingers.You will apply OB lube to the palm of your glove,
and (if a soap lube, make a suds to clean the vulva surface) wipe lubricant on
the vulva lips, then enter the rectum one finger at a time to relax and dilate
the anus.Any manure she pushes back to
you, should be allowed to flow out, thus keeping the rectal rings in motion
(more on that later).Once the
manuring stops, with your right hand, take an unfolded towel in the flat of
your hand and make a single comprehensive wipe across the vulva surface, to clean
the area for entry.

Taking the AI gun
in your right hand, you now enter the vulva using a slightly uphill angle (to
avoid an entry into the urethra, which drains the bladder—an area very
sensitive to the cow and unconnected to her reproductive system).You will find that pushing gently down
against the vulva from inside with your left hand (folded into a fist)
usually will spread the vulva lips apart to make a cleaner entry.

I then relax my
left arm inside the rectum, while sliding the AI gun as far into the vagina as
it will go easily.In most cases (as the vagina is a funnel and
only leads to the cervix) the gun will end up at a point in front of or
slightly alongside the cervix.I then
work my left hand down to find the end of the gun and explore the tissue
structures it has found, to detect the size, shape and angle of the cervix.

Keep in mind the
entire reproductive tract—vagina, cervix, uterus body, uterine horns, and
ovaries—are mounted on a membrane that is anchored to the pelvic bones,
designed to allow stretching of the weight of the calf into the body cavity as
pregnancy progresses.So the cervix
and uterus can move about, and we must be careful not to “bulldoze” what we are
seeking over the edge of the pelvis into the body.

The cervix can be
grasped roughly half around by lifting it off the membrane, and this allows you
some control of cervix movement as you seek to guide the gun into its vaginal
entrance.The cervix feels like a
“chicken neck”—you may sense folds (rings) that the gun passes through to reach
the uterine body.

Once you pass the
gun through the cervix, you will feel the tip coming out of the cervix.You need to hold the gun in the uterine
body, by placing your index finger over the tip, so it does not slide up into
one of the uterine horns.At this
point, you grasp the plunger with your right hand, push the semen into the cow,
then remove the gun, and finally remove your left arm.

Once your gloved
hand is out of the cow, grasp the base of the vulva between thumb and finger,
and as soon as you find the clitoris (buried in the fat tissue of the vulva
base), flick it repeatedly.If done
with finesse and sensitivity, the cow will arch her back—at this point, her
nervous system has been sent the signal that breeding has taken place, and will
then initiate the steps to trigger ovulation.

(4)How conception actually occurs

Six to twelve
hours after the end of standing heat (when you bred the cow), the follicle on
one ovary will rupture and release its ovum (egg).The infindibulum membrane catches it, and
sends it up the fallopian tube, where it will meet the waiting sperm
cells.Sperm rub against the enzyme
shell until one is able to penetrate and complete conception.Over the next week, during cell division,
it migrates to the horn and will attach to the uterine wall.Over the next six weeks, it transitions to
full fetal attachment.

The miracle of
life—celebrated each spring with the birth of calves

Nothing beats the sight of a
herd of momma cows in green paddocks, grazing grass and nursing a full crop of
calves.The cattleman knows reward
for the prior season’s time and expense for breeding those cows, and can
predict his likely income.

But that means we need to be
picking out sires, ordering semen, restocking our supplies and preparing for
heat detection, maybe estrus synchronization, and breeding.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Our seasonal tank rental has proven an attractive option for
the Beef or Goat breeder who does all AI in a seasonal window[spring—beef;fall—goats].Your semen is
stored here, a tank is delivered by the date you tell us AI needs to begin, the
tank is picked up after your breeding window ends.Now we need more tanks that fit our service
recharge window.So if you would like
to trade up to a newer tank, your existing tank is worth more on a trade.If
you store embryos, a newer tank has advantages to you.

Masters Choice seed corn, in its continuing focus on
feeding quality corn varieties, has developed a corn variety that is focused on
the grazing managementcattle farm--where the higher feed tonnage per acre of
which corn is capable, can be combined with a simpler grazing and baling
harvesting option.

“Master Graze” is a multistalk corn that will
provide a regrowth of tillers from the root base after the first cutting is
grazed or harvested.Silage baler
operators indicate it is easier than baling Sorghum Sudan, as it dries a bit
quicker (requires less wilt time), and its feeding value is at silage energy
levels but with good grass protein levels, and is almost totally digestible.

We intend to try some at our farm this year, after a success
feeding Summer Dream (BMR Sorghum Sudan) in balage form as a silage substitute
through this winter season.After the
first cut, we intend to interseed some fast emerging annuals to add tonnage to
the second cutting.

These options can work well for the smaller operator, who
depends on custom silage harvesting, but who is already set up (or needs an
excuse to get set up) for silage baling and wrapping.You will not have to fear running out of
forage, as is often the case with a dry hay forage system in a drought year.

This subject
came up at the recent Byron seeds/Masters Choice information
meetings.It appears that if you plant
a couple drill passes around a corn field with BMR Sorghum Sudan, the deer do
not find it as interesting to them as corn, and may not walk across it to reach
your corn plantings.

Given the palatability of most Sorghum Sudans to cattle,
this is a surprising statement.But
deer are not as adapted to the more recent forage crops as they are to field
crops to which they have had generations of exposure (corn, soybeans, alfalfa).

Either way, a band of Sorghum Sudan you can harvest for
cattle feed while waiting for the corn, means you do not end up knocking down
bushels of corn from your headlands and check rows at harvest.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

In the last decade, forages
have seen a renaissance in importance for dairy rations.Nutritionists have gradually seen the light
on the energy value in digestible fiber.The older “state of the art” ration of pure
alfalfa haylage cut early-bud (its lowest fiber point) with shelled corn as the
energy source (again, starch, not fiber) and the protein targets balanced with
soybean meal (which used to be a by-product feed) produced more milk than baled
hay, ground ear corn, oats and corn stalks, BUT kept veterinarians busy with
displaced abomasums and high blood urea levels, depressed reproduction,
laminitis, etc.Out of this “one size
fits all” dairy ration grew the historically-blind concept that “grass is a
weed” rather than the most basic and adaptable soil builder and ruminant
feed that in earlier eras was the basis of pastoral dairying.

Adapting silos to storage of
chopped alfalfa hay appeared to solve one of the big problems of hay
harvesting—the visual loss of leaf dry matter at baling and after.Lightly wilted and windrowed alfalfa still
looked like it retained its protein value in saved leaves.We assumed that chaff that blew over the
top of the wagons was all chaff and stalk.We were usually fooling ourselves.

The mechanical storage innovation
that proved you could feed hay in nearly the same quality as it was harvested,
and suffer minimal loss of leaf volume, was the baleage (plastic
wrapped bale) system, which proved that your return on the plastic used was 10
times its cost in saved feed.In areas
of the dairy world such as the Canadian Maritimes, where herd sizes are
typically 70 to 200 cows, this matches equipment investment to available labor
and gets the feed quality job done.

The lagging part of the nutrient
harvesting in the cattle industry today involves dry hay.Cows crave fiber, for rumen “scratch
factor”, and crave the buffering of drier elements in an otherwise wet
ration.So the search for affordable
good dry hay is still ongoing.But
those who are now adding better grasses to their alfalfa fields
are finding their cows feel (and milk) better already.

What is the issue with dry
hay?

The many steps involved in making
dry alfalfa hay add up to a significant loss of nutrients we basically just
return to the ground as surface mulch.How much do we lose?Here is some data that has been around awhile already:

Mowing2% of leaves
lost1% of dry matter lost

Mower/conditioner3% of leaves lost2% of dry matter lost

Discbine4% of leaves
lost3% of dry matter lost

Flail mower/conditioner5% of leaves lost4% of dry matter lost

Raking:

at 70% moisture2% of leaves lost2% of dry matter lost

at 33% moisture12% of leaves lost7% of dry matter lost

Tedding:

At 70% moisture2% of leaves lost1% of dry matter lost

At 33% moisture12% of leaves lost6% of dry matter lost

Baling:(stacking flat wagons by hand)

At 20% moisture6% of leaves lost4% of dry matter lost

At 12% moisture8% of leaves lost6% of dry matter lost

(ejector bales thrown into basket
wagons)

At 18% moisture8% of leaves lost5% of dry matter lost

(round balers, different designs)

range of equipt10%-21% leaves lost6%-13% dry matter lost

(Stack wagon picking up bales)

24%
leaves lost15% dry matter
lost

Total losses:12%-50% of leaves7%-30% dry matter

Your equipment dealer will make a
case for converting to wet wrap baling, so you can harvest all the alfalfa hay
you grow.And there is an issue, as
hay values have risen to the point where this means as much as $150 per
acre in feed value you grew but could not get to your cows.

There is another factor.Is “pure alfalfa” the best dry hay “crop”,
or could “mixed alfalfa grass and clover” be a better deal all the way
around?In the first place, with grass
and alfalfa side by side in the field, you have the more fibrous grass
to attach those flimsy alfalfa leaves and prevent some from falling to the
ground.In the second place, alfalfa’s
energy values are inferior to the new, improved multi season red clovers
that can add some fiber energy punch to your harvest.

SO—do you want to seed some
better hay?Here’s a simple
seeding mix to get you thinking.

This will produce great baled hay,
but would produce even better bunk silo haylage or wrapped baleage.Clover adds fiber energy and palatability,
the grass adds fiber energy and tonnage at the level of protein modern dairy
rations suggest.The alfalfa will grow
in the summer heat so that you can justify the fuel and time of each
cutting.The grasses we use no longer
head out ahead of the alfalfa, so you harvest optimum feed from all three
species.

The seeding rates may be higher
than Grandpa used—but the blended cost of all this additional plant growth will
be less than a straight alfalfa seeding at usual recommendations.More seed means more harvestable feed
value, the alfalfa+clover+grass mix means sufficient fiber levels to keep your
cows healthy (fewer displacements, less laminitis, less acidosis, better
reproduction).

More importantly, returning grass
to your seeding mix will add beneficial root mass to the soil, making it
capable of holding more rain water and adding beneficial organic matter.

Think about it.Fall
is a great time to plant a new seeding.We have the right seed to do it.

Of course, if you prefer, Spring
is also a great time to plant a new seeding, perhaps with cover from an equally
high digestible small grain like forage oats or spring triticale
to harvest first.

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About the Author

Greg Palen grew up on a family dairy modeled on Louis Bromfield's Malabar Farm, which later converted to beef cow calf. After Business School at University of Michigan, Greg became involved with dealer recruitment and distribution for Tri-State Breeders of Wisconsin and then what became Semex USA.

Approved to provide "aAa" (Weeks) Breeding Guide in 1994, a full time activity today. Greg's own Netherhall Farm, a grass based rotation grazing dairy, breeding purebred polled Jerseys designed to meet all body functions on forage energy.